Darkside
by Turtlegirl13
Summary: *ONESHOT* Everybody's got a darkside, but only a few accept it.
I walked into the dojo to find Leo meditating. "Hey Leo, can I talk to you?"

He opened one eye, and nodded patting the spot next to him. "What about?"

I sighed. "I'm ready to open up to you about everything."

Leo turned to face me and took my hands. "Okay."

I closed my eyes. "Everyone has a dark side. Some people throw it out in the open for people to see, and others keep it inside of them. I'm the person who keeps it hidden." Over explaining sometimes helps me say what I really want to say. "That's what I've always done since I was a kid. When my parents divorced my mom was with someone who was a complete asshole." He was the start of my downfall.

"I was seven, and my mom, my sister, my mom's ex, and I went to the neighborhood pool. My sister and I took our cover ups off and went to go run into the pool. At the time, I wasn't a strong swimmer, so I stayed in the shallow end. My mom's ex, Rich, followed us in and dragged me to the deep end. Of course, I panicked when he kept pushing me further in and I couldn't keep my head above the water. Somehow in my fit of panic, I managed to find the edge of the pool, but Rich reached out to pull me in. I remember scrambling out of the pool and rushing to my mom. She wrapped me in a towel and we watched him do the same to Taylor, but it was fine because she was a good swimmer. That wasn't the bad part of the day. When Rich got out, he looked over at me. I was happily enjoying an ice cream cone. He laughed at me and poked my stomach. 'Look at all of those rolls' he'd shout. Every time I was in a bathing suit or a tight shirt, he'd make that comment. My real father would say things like that too. When we visit family, he'd always describe me as the 'chunky, fat' twin. Taylor was always the skinny twin." I used to think when I was younger that I'd be alone when I grew up because I was too fat for any guy to like me.

I looked up at Leo to find him just listening quietly. His eyes weren't judging, so I continued.

"The last time I was with my father, he brought my stepsiblings and I swimming, I bet you could guess what he said to me."

"Hey, listen, you're nowhere near being fat-" Leo started

"I hear a lot of people say that, but Leo, it's engraved in my head." I bit my lip as I apologized.

"It's okay." Then he watched me again. "What about your dad?"

"He was never there. I had a solo in the school play, and I invited him. He refused to go. There was a parents' lunch, I asked. He said no. I started learning how to play guitar, he refused to listen to me. When I started up riding horses again. He actually went to one ride, but stayed in the car. He lied about being sick for Father's Day. He ended up going to Florida with his wife, while Taylor and I watched Jim play baseball." I paused. "That was the day I started giving up on him."

"He missed your life." Leo concluded.

I nodded. "He beat my brother with his sneaker on Christmas. My brother just recently fell at work, shifting some discs in his back, when I tried to stop him, he yelled at me to go upstairs, but I didn't because I knew that you wouldn't let the Shedder hurt your brothers. So I stayed, but someone pulled me back. My father has always let me down, no matter what, I've always been let down. That's why I never expect much from people. My best friend moved away, and never spoke to me again. Going into my Junior year in high school, my best friend died. That same year, the person who was supposed to be my best friend, abandoned me. Another friend bullied me until I never wanted to sing again. My ex-boyfriend was pushy and tried to do a lot of things that I didn't agree with. For the longest time, I kind of stopped wanting to care, but I still did."

"You have a good heart." Leo brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

"It bites you in the ass sometimes." I crossed my arms.

"You don't need to keep the mask up now." Leo said.

I nodded. "I know, but I don't know how to take it off."

"Stop fighting, let you're guard down. It doesn't have to be forever, just for the moment." He cradled my cheek with his hand.

I grasped his hand, holding onto his strength. This was the usual. Ever since I was a little girl, I always fed off of the strength Leo showed in the shows. The struggles he went through, helped me face my own. The turtles became more than just fictional characters, they were real to me. Each of them in the shows and movies helped me in some way, big or small. Now, I know my hurdles don't seem like anything compared to what other people deal with, but my hurdles have knocked me over a few times. There were many times where there wasn't someone to pick me up again, and I didn't want to get back up. I was always alone.

"When I get close to someone, they leave me." I whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere, even if you tell me to leave." Leo pressed his forehead to mine.

His words played over and over in my head. I felt that mask slowly start to fade and I cried. A weight lifted from my shoulders, when Leo pulled me against him. He didn't tell me to stop crying like others have. Instead, he just let me have this moment. It wasn't until I was hiccupping that I pulled away, and Leo's thumb caught the stray tears as they rolled down my cheek.

"No matter what anyone tells you, you're perfect and I'll always be there for you."

I smiled and kissed him.

"Better?" He asked as he started to pull back.

"Better."

He's seem my dark side, accepted it, and never wavered from my side. All that was left was my emotional recovery. This time, I wasn't going to pull myself together by myself. I finally had my best friend, who wouldn't leave me. For once, I felt safe.


End file.
